From Handheld to the Big Screen – Why Gravity Rush Remastered is a must-play

The once essential PlayStation Vita title becomes a must-play on the PlayStation 4.

The release of Gravity Rush on the PlayStation Vita may have been overlooked by many as it was exclusive to the platform. With many either not picking up Sony’s handheld or for someone like me who came into the platform late, we didn’t have the chance to experience one of the finest PlayStation title to grace the handheld.

Gravity Rush, or Gravity Daze in Japan – which best represent the game in my opinion – follows a loveable character called Kat, who one day finds herself in an amnesia state. She wakes up forgetting her memories but soon realises she’s someone special with the ability to shift gravity, allowing her to fly and manoeuvre like no one else.

The game takes place in the beautiful world of Hekseville. The incredible cel-shaded setting looks like something taken out of the worlds seen in Studio Ghibli films. The fine team at Bluepoint Games, who were responsible for Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, were given the task of bringing Gravity Rush to the big screen on the PlayStation 4.

The incredible cel-shaded setting looks like something taken out of the worlds seen in Studio Ghibli films.

Gravity Rush Remaster boasts native 1080p accompanied by a very silky-smooth 60fps. Not only did the resolution get a jump, the textures and lighting in-game have been revamped to accommodate the power of the PlayStation 4.

The faster framerate also helped improved the gameplay, making it easier to navigate the world of Hekseville and solve platforming puzzles. While the game’s naturally fast as you control Kat from one point to the other, 60fps really helped me find footing and transition without any hiccups in the world, which happened during my time with the Vita version every now and again.

Bluepoint Games has also taken advantage of the DualShock 4 controller to improve the movement, making it quite tighter than the PlayStation Vita edition. When controlling Kat, you can jump into a mid-air stance and move the camera using motion (or the stick if you hate moving your hands around) to point and navigate her to another platform or position. This felt natural on the DualShock 4 when compared to the PlayStation Vita and took no time to come to grips with.

The improved handling could also be the downfall of Gravity Rush. Yes, it’s easier to control, but could also lead to the combat being quite simple. Combat in Gravity Rush is a mixture of button mashing and using Kat’s ability to manipulate gravity. While the game is great on the PlayStation Vita for your basic button mashing combat, the transition to the PlayStation 4 feels too simple and rather bare for my liking. It feels more at home on the handheld version of the game. In saying that, the world, its characters, and traversal is certainly enough to carry the game forward.

Gravity Rush Remastered is only here for one reason, however, and that’s to gear up a bigger audience and push the momentum and hype for Gravity Rush 2 – which is coming to PlayStation 4 exclusively and not the PlayStation Vita. With Sony pulling focus away from the handheld, the most logical step was to get the game into peoples hands, and if a remaster of Gravity Rush wasn’t on the cards, the sequel would probably not have received the attention it warranted.

Overall

Gravity Rush Remastered is not just another re-release to take advantage of newer hardware. Sony is doing more with the series and it’s a release that needs to be done to garner more interest for the sequel. In saying that, Gravity Rush Remastered is an essential pick-up for those who missed the game when it was released on the PlayStation Vita. Bluepoint Games have done an awesome job bringing the game to the PlayStation 4 and it will also satisfy past players to replay the game.

A review copy was provided by PlayStation.

Verdict

Incredible Transition from PS Vita to PS4Allows more people to experience Gravity RushLovable protagonist and impressive world